🗓🏌🏽♂️December 2025: the Must-See Competitions on the PGA Tour🏆
- clairebambino
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
🏌🏽♂️ Hero World Challenge – December 4-7, 2025 – Albany Golf Course, Albany • Bahamas
This is an unofficial, limited-field event hosted by Tiger Woods. Founded by Tiger Woods and his father, Earl, the tournament debuted in 2000 as the Williams World Challenge. It has served as a benefit event for the TGR Foundation (Tiger Woods Foundation) throughout its history. The event moved to its current location in the Bahamas in 2015.
⛳️ The event takes place at the Albany Golf Course in New Providence, Bahamas. The course was designed by Ernie Els.
The award is referred to simply as the Hero World Challenge Trophy. Its primary representation is one of excellence in an elite invitational field and its direct association with the charitable mission of the TGR Foundation, which the tournament financially supports.
It is an unofficial PGA Tour event, meaning the prize money won by players does not count toward the official money rankings on any major tour, and no FedExCup points are awarded. The field is small (currently 20 players), composed of the defending champion, major winners, and top players from the Official World Golf Ranking.
The tournament is typically one of the final high-profile golf events of the calendar year and grants Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points, which adds significance for the elite field.
💰 Purse: $5,000,000
Previous winner (2024): 🇺🇸 Scottie Scheffler ($1,000,000)
🇺🇸 🏌🏽♂️ PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry – December 11-14, 2025 – Dye's Valley Course, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida • USA
This is the multi-stage qualifying process for securing membership on the professional tours. The Final Stage field consists of players who have survived three prior stages (Pre-Qualifying, First Stage and Second Stage).
PGA TOUR Q-School (Qualifying School) dates back to 1965. It was the primary way to earn a PGA Tour card until 2012. From 2013 to 2022, it only awarded status on the developmental Korn Ferry Tour. Since 2023, the Final Stage has once again awarded a small number of direct PGA Tour cards.
⛳️ The Final Stage will be held at the Dye’s Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass and Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The Dye’s Valley Course was designed by Pete Dye and Bobby Weed.
This is not a traditional tournament and does not award a trophy. The winner of the Final Stage receives Medalist Honors and the highest level of guaranteed status on the PGA Tour for the following season. The event represents the "door" to professional golf, determining players' destinies.
Many famous names, including Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas, used a strong finish at Q-School (or the subsequent Korn Ferry Tour season) as their launching pad to the PGA Tour.
The top 5 finishers at the 2025 Final Stage will earn a PGA Tour card for the 2026 season. In the event of a tie for the fifth and final qualifier, a hole-by-hole playoff will be conducted to determine the final spot(s) - a new procedure for 2025. The next group of finishers earns guaranteed status on the Korn Ferry Tour, and others earn status on the PGA TOUR Americas, making it a pivotal week for hundreds of careers.
💰 Purse: $510,000
Previous winner (2024): 🇺🇸 Lanto Griffin ($50,000)
🇺🇸 🏌🏻♀️🏌🏽♂️ Grant Thornton Invitational – December 12-14, 2025 – Tiburón Golf Club, Naples, Florida • USA
🏌🏼♀️🏌🏻 This is a co-sanctioned, mixed-team event between the PGA Tour and the LPGA Tour (Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour). The tournament debuted in 2023, replacing the QBE Shootout. It made history as the first co-sanctioned mixed-team event between the PGA Tour and the LPGA Tour since 1999, uniting both tours for a single competition. The core mission is to promote gender parity and inclusivity in professional golf.
⛳️ The event is held at the Tiburón Golf Club at The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Florida. The course was designed by Greg Norman.
The unique trophy was designed to symbolize the mission of the event. It features bands of gold and silver that unite and rise from the base, representing the two tours coming together. The shape at the top is an infinite Möbius disc (a fascinating mathematical and geometric shape with a single, continuous surface and only one edge) signifying unity and the promise of a more equal future for the game of golf.
The tournament uses 3 distinct team formats over 3 rounds: Scramble, Foursomes (alternate shot), and a unique Modified Four-Ball format where players switch balls for their second shot. The purse is split equally between the winning male and female team members.
The event features 32 players (16 PGA Tour professionals paired with 16 LPGA Tour stars). The tournament’s promotional logo features a "pair of tees" playing on the word "parity" to emphasize their commitment to equality.
💰 Purse: equal prize money of $4,000,000
Previous winner (2024): 🇺🇸 Jake Knapp ($500,000) & 🇹🇭 Patty Tavatanakit ($500,000)
